Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Mystery
by PockyNerd
Summary: Before Ash turned into a pokemon and met Pip, before she saved the pokemon world, she rescued a Treeko and together they set off to do the greatest thing anyone could ever do: They were going to change history! To do that they must discover the Time Gears locations and run from Primal Dialga and his lackey, Dusknoir. The story before the story begins with a soft heart and a plan.
1. Treeko

I ran from the library, chased by the ghost Pokémon of this world. I couldn't see much but the little I could see in the darkness kept me from tripping over the roots of dead trees. Quickly, I hid behind a boulder before the ghosts could see and waited until I heard them pass me to let out a deep breath. I panted, each breath I took was cold and froze my lungs. After several minutes I took one more deep breath and relaxed.

"Where are you going, shortie?" I heard a voice from behind the boulder. It was obviously not a human's voice. All the humans in this world lived with me. Slowly I peeked from the boulder.

It was obvious the Gengar was the leader of the trio. Gastly and Haunter were simply there to cheer him on.

"Come on, hand over that berry there." The Gengar stuck out his hands but after several moments of not getting anything he frowned.

I knew I shouldn't interfere but whatever the defenseless Pokémon was needed help. I rummaged through my backpack and found my precious item, my Luminous Orb. Slowly I inched my way toward the side of the boulder.

"Fine then!" Gengar went for the attack.

I acted as quickly as I could. I ran out and dropped the orb blinding everyone including myself but I couldn't let that bother me. I grabbed a pokémon's hand and hid back behind the boulder before the flash of light could disappear. I couldn't see in the darkness after that so I simply sat against the boulder, holding the Pokémon victim to my chest, and listened.

"What was that, boss?"

"I don't know." It was Gengar. "He's gone! That sneaky…he stole _our _berry!"

I listened to his footsteps disappear. My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and I could see as clearly as a human can see in darkness.

"Um…y-you can let me go now." The voice was small. I looked down at the victim I saved. It was a Treeko! Excitement bubbled up in my heart. You never see grass Pokémon anymore! The only Pokémon that I ever saw was ghost and dark type Pokémon.

"Excuse me?"

"S-sorry!" I whispered and put him down. "I got so excited to see a Pokémon that wasn't a ghost." Treeko looked at me with suspicious and wary eyes. "What did you take from them?"

"Nothing! I found it out in the open!" A twig snapped behind him and he hid behind me.

"Ashton?" I heard a deep and warm voice.

"Over here, Nate!" I turned to Treeko. I couldn't leave him out here. "Stay quiet!" I whispered as I shoved him into my backpack. I turned quickly hugging the book to my chest.

"My gods, Ashton, you had us worried!" My brother took my arm and half dragged me toward home. The dull lights of several lamps burned in the distance.

A felt Treeko in my backpack fighting to get out. I could feel him kicking my back but I didn't let it bother me. All Pokémon I brought home never liked me at first. I don't think I would like anyone who stuffed me in a backpack either.

I twisted out of Nate's arm at the sign of father and ran up to him. "I found it!" I held up the book to him but he only slapped it away. He was angry.

"You risked your life for a stupid book?" He screamed. Everyone ran into their huts. Nobody liked my father's wrath and if you could you avoided it and him. Unless, of course, you were me.

I stomped my foot. "It isn't stupid! It could help us!"

"You are wasting your time trying to change a future that cannot be changed! You disobeyed me again!" He raised his hand. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain, I braced myself against it. Father cried out in pain and I opened my eyes. The timid Treeko that was hiding in my backpack left a mark on my father's hand. He had somehow gotten out. Quickly I picked him up and held him close before father could hurt him. "You brought another one?" He screamed.

"He needed my help!"

"Everyone needs help. You don't _need _to help anyone outside of this village!" Everyone started to creep out of their huts to take a look at the new Pokémon friend I brought home. We stared each other down for a few long minutes.

Treeko squirmed from my arms and grabbed my book for me.

"We shall discuss this later." He walked away.

"You should go to Ruth's house." Nate whispered to me.

I agreed and picked up the Treeko and ran to the house at the edge of the lights. I didn't bother knocking anymore I simply just walked in. The house always smelled like soup. Her house was the only warm house in the world.

I set Treeko down. "I'm sorry about that but I didn't want you getting hurt anymore out there."

Treeko looked away, folding his arms. His personality had totally changed. He went from timid to a "tough" Pokémon.

The old woman appeared from her room. She smiled when she saw me. "Oh child, what friend did you bring today?" She scooped the soup into three bowls and handed me one. When she presented Treeko one he refused to take it. "If you don't take it now you'll never get any." She warned.

He took the bowl and started to eat. I smiled. It was good to see the grass Pokémon eat. I happily ate my soup.

"So, what book did you bring back this time?" Ruth loved the stories that I told because of these books.

"Today I am telling about the Time Gears. Back when time was not just controlled by Dialga." I put down the soup and opened the book. I felt Treeko try to sneak a peek without letting anyone know but he failed. I scooped him up and put him in my lap. The books had pictures that probably had vibrant colors at one point but with only artificial light there were only dull colors.

"There were five Time Gears in total," I read. It was all in Unknown runes but I could read them perfectly. They were based off of the human alphabet after all. Treeko stared at the runes in awe and even traced the A rune. I smiled and continued. "Although the whereabouts are currently unknown the story is not. Long, long ago after Dialga and the Temporal Tower were attacked by ruthless Pokémon, Dialga set out to protect himself, the Tower, and Time. He hid Temporal Tower in a place known as the Hidden Lands. The only way to this was proof, with that proof you could summon the guardian of the Hidden Lands and he will take you to the Hidden Lands and Temporal Tower. He feared that because he did this time would eventually unbalance itself so he set in safeguards called the Time Gears and scattered them across the land. They control the flow of time around five regions. If they all should be taken time would temporarily stop. They could be replaced back to where you found them or taken to Temporal Tower and placed in a tablet and all would be normal again. However nobody knew this because the legend had been lost…and that is how the planet's paralysis became and Primal Dialga was born."

I left the book open for Treeko to stare at.

"The planet's future can be changed." I said to Ruth. "I am going to change that with or without my father's help."

"It would be better to have more help than to do all of this by yourself. A twelve year old girl shouldn't bear this burden on her shoulders alone." Ruth took our bowls and started to clean.

I sighed. She was right. Without any help I may as well go on a mission that will take a lifetime to complete.

"I'll help you." I heard Treeko say. He was fascinated with the pictures.

"How will we convince the village?" I asked him.

"We'll just have to make a speech. Everyone respects you because you stand up to your father. He's kind of mean so maybe they'll listen to you." He stared up at me. His grass green eyes pierced mine.

I hugged him tightly. A flash went off and I looked up at Ruth. She smiled and handed me a picture. "You need a reminder of the nice moments such as these." She tells me as she hands me the sepia picture.

I grinned and took out the braid. My hair rolled down in black waves. Outside the lamp lights turned off. It was curfew.

"Tomorrow we will convince everyone to help us." I told Treeko. "And with or without them we will travel the world and we will learn everything we can about the past. And we'll find out how to travel back in time." I laid on the ground and watch Treeko stare blankly at the book. Hope gleamed in his eyes. "And when we come back we will no longer be chased by Pokémon."

Treeko frowned and looked at me. "Were they evil Pokémon?"

I shook my head and closed my eyes. "They were simply Pokémon who have lost themselves to the darkness of this world. Everyone in this time has forgotten what light looks like."


	2. Follow the Leader

It was hard to tell when morning came or went or even when a couple of hours went by. Whenever the lights came on meant that it was okay to go outside again. As soon as the lights came into view Treeko and I ran outside and waited for the streets to be busy with people.

I looked at Treeko. He seemed so cool and confident while I couldn't hear anything over the sound of my heart. It rang in my ears and got caught in my throat. I suddenly became aware of the pulses throughout my body. What would they think of me when I told them I'm going to change history? Will they laugh? Will father be mad?

Treeko grabbed my hand. "It's okay." He smiled. "Just tell the world and if they don't follow then…we'll just go off on our own."

I smiled and took a deep breath. I needed to do this. If I didn't do this nobody would and I couldn't let Treeko down. "Everyone listen up!" The words came flowing from my throat. My body relaxed after seeing how easily the words came out.

Everyone within hearing range stopped and stared at us. Treeko was right I was well respected by almost everyone.

I swallowed and Treeko squeezed my hand. _That's right. I have my friend Treeko here with me. _I squeezed his hand softly. "It is possible to not live in a world surrounded by darkness and fear!" I yelled. Some people started to approach, curious at what I had to say. "It's possible to change this time! We have to go back in time! Change the past! I'm going to do that with my friend Treeko. But it's hard for a twelve-year-old girl and a young Pokémon to bear the burden alone. We need your help!"

I didn't see the look of fear in people's eyes. Treeko yelled, "You shouldn't be afraid of her father. If you fight back against him he can't win!"

This put a fire in some of the people's hearts. I smiled.

"How will you do this?" I recognized the terrorizing voice. In any other situation the people would have scattered like cockroaches. The people parted to let my father through to the front.

I stared down at him as if I was the biggest thing in the world. "We will learn everything we can about the past and we will find a way to travel back in time."

"This will take years to collect the information!" My father laughed in our faces. "And you'll be so burnt out that you'll quit." He pointed a finger at us accusingly.

Treeko didn't like what he had to say to me. He bit his hand. Father yelled out in pain and flung him against Nate. "Now he will pay!" He approached the tiny Pokémon.

I couldn't stop it from happening. I punched his back as hard as I could. "You won't hurt him!" I screamed.

Nate ran to me and grabbed my frozen body before my father could recover from the sneak attack. "Ground him!" He ordered two burly guys. They were way bigger than father but had always been scared of his temper until now. I watched them drag my father back to the house. He would never take me back.

"Tell us how to help." Nate set me and Treeko down on a box so that we could see the crowd. I picked up Treeko and let him rest on my head so that he could see the crowd better. Everyone was determined. Nobody wanted to be in the dark forever.

"In groups gather as much information about how to get to the past as you can. Treeko and I will be the only ones going into the past so we will learn everything we can about the past. Only us two because people in the past would probably get really freaked out if a horde of us went over. That would be drastically changing things and we really don't want that…" I let all of this information sink in. Then I said, "Who will go and gather how to go to the past?"

I waited…and waited…and waited…I started to loose hope that anyone would volunteer at all.

"I will go!" Nate yelled.

"I will too!" Ruth made her way through the crowed. She had her cane today. "I may be an old woman but I still have some fight left in these bones."

I smiled.

"No, Ruth," the baker woman put a hand on her shoulder. "Me and my husband will go with Nate. You need to watch the village. Take control and be our leader here."

I looked down at Treeko then back up at everyone else. "We will leave as soon as we are prepared!"

Everyone cheered.


	3. Explorers of the Future

I rummaged through what little I had in my room. I knew I had a locket somewhere but I didn't know where. I threw books and rummaged through a million broken backpacks.

"Here!" I yelled and started cutting out the picture. Treeko watched as I fit it into one side of the locket.

"What did you do that for?" He asked.

"I made this locket for a special moment like this one. I want to remember the start of our adventure. I've read before that there used to be exploration teams. They've all died out by now but you and I can bring them back. Do you want to form an exploration team with me?" I spit out the words. What if he rejected my proposition? Why would he if he's already agreed to change time forever?

"What would our team name be?" He started to think.

I took that as a yes. "Exploration Team of Time, Darkness, and Sky!" I yelled out.

He laughed. "That's too long to remember! How about just Exploration Team of Time?"

I smiled. "Fine but our official name is Time, Darkness, and Sky!"

"Hmph. Fine but if people ask me then I'm saying Time!"

"Fine, it's a deal." I pinched his cheek just to annoy him. He blushed and glared up at me.

I put the book I read to him in my backpack and stood. "I'll make us both a badge so we can be official!" I grinned at him and started to walk off.

Everyone in the village saw us off. We had no idea where we were going, only that we needed to find old libraries that still stood.

"Okay checklist!" I said after we were so far away that the lights were nothing more than a blur. "So we need to know where the Time Gears are, if they're guarded or not, and then we'll go back and find out how to go back into time…Oh and we also need to know where to find the Hidden Lands but there isn't much documented it sounds like so we may need to investigate that on our own."

Treeko nodded with each item listed.

We continued walking through the darkness for what felt like could've been hours. Treeko couldn't walk as far as me so I carried him for a few more miles before sitting down and resting myself. I hummed softly and started to etch in small details on the sides of the locket. I didn't notice I was humming the lullaby I hum to myself when I'm scared.

"Where did you learn that song?" He was leaned against me and starting to fall asleep.

"I made it up myself."

"What are you drawing into your locket?" He climbed up to look over my shoulder.

"I want to etch in a Time Gear. There was a picture in the book." I pulled it out of the backpack and opened the page to a snowflake item that looked like would've been a green-blue. "This." I pointed to the picture.

"It looks so pretty." He sighs softly.

I put it back and stood, letting him climb on my head. I flung the backpack on my back and started walking.

"The writing in the book…what was that?"

"Unknown runes. There were Pokémon once called Unknown and humans used them as alphabets. Not many humans can read them now, though. Just me and Nate. And nobody in the village knows footprint runes so we can forget about reading anything written that's not written by humans."

"I can read footprint runes. If I teach you how will you teach me how to read Unknown?"

I nodded, smiling. "Of course! Why not?"

Finally we came to a library and I set him down. "Let's get to work!" I give him a book about how to read Unknown runes while I read a book on Time Gears. We never stayed in a library for too long lest someone catch us.

After Treeko could read Unknown runes at a steady pace I started to learn how to read footprint runes.

In the Eastern Forest was a giant library. By the time we got there I was fourteen years old. I felt myself grow into the age.

I braided my hair as we explored the inside of the four story high building. Treeko ate his berries as he read and I simply skimmed the pages.

Treeko sighed. "How many more Time Gears do we need the locations of?"

"Um…One. But I think I know where it is." From my backpack I produced a map of the past. Back when time flowed normally. There were four circles and I circled the last location. Eastern Forest. "But remember they are all hidden so when we get to these locations there will probably be like traps, hidden doors, anything."

"What are you two doing here?" There were four Sableye that had us surrounded. Treeko stood, ready for a fight.

I picked up the books and tried to hide it from them. "Nothing." I lied.

One of the Sableye shot at me and before I could do anything it used fury swipes. I screamed and let it go. It grabbed a book and backed off before Treeko could hurt it. The Sableye looked through the pages I bent the corners at.

It chuckled. "What do you need information about the Time Gears for?"

Without thinking Treeko yelled out, "We're going to change history!"

"Shh!" I shushed him. "If Primal Dialga finds out we're done for, remember?"

"You should listen to her…but she doesn't seem so smart if she knows she'll be killed and she still will risk her life for a fate you can't change."

Another Sableye added, "You think you're the only one with that idea? Countless others have too and Master Dialga has defeated them all. You should quit before things get deadly."

Their sharp claws gleaned in the lamplight. I took out blast seeds from my backpack and threw it at them. While startled Treeko hit a few with his tail. The rest he used a blast seed attack.

I took out more blast seeds but they were already starting to run.

"You'll regret that!" They yelled as they ran.

"Man!" I turned to Treeko. "You can't tell every Pokémon that!" I was scared to think all of this could be for nothing. "We have to go back home quickly." I packed the map away and threw another book in my bag.

"S-sorry…" Treeko looked just as scared as I felt.

I picked him up and put him on my head. "Just…please be careful." I ran out. We couldn't stay at the library any longer or else the Sableye would come back and attack us…or worse Primal Dialga would.

It only took another year to reach home. I was fifteen now, getting ready to call myself sixteen. I had grown a little bit but all of my clothes still fit me from a few years ago.

"You're kind of short for a human, aren't you?"

I grinned a little bit. "You're the one to talk… 'shorty'." I heard him make a displeased sound from the top of my head.

We got closer and closer to the pale, artificial lights. I started running, I couldn't wait to see everyone again. The lights got brighter and brighter as we got closer and closer.

Treeko squirmed uneasily on my head. "Do you smell that?"

Shortly after asking me I smelled it. It smelled like something had burn. I slowed down as we approached the burnt down village. I stopped, horrified at the scene. Ashes lay everywhere. The only things that stood were the lamplights that hung from trees but the lights were ready to burn out at any given moment.

"Nate?" I screamed as I forced my legs to walk through the village. "Ruth?" I didn't get an answer. "Somebody?" I started to cry. "Anybody?" I whispered as I approached the middle of the village, where Treeko and I had given our speech.

_"This is too much for a young girl and Pokémon to handle alone." _I heard my own voice that told everybody this.

_But now we have no choice…_

I didn't feel Treeko move from my head to stand in front of me. I let my legs give out and the cold tears spilled from my cheeks to the ground. I raised my head up to the sky and I let out a scream.

Treeko put his arms around my neck and he let himself dangle at my chest and he hummed the same tune I hummed to him when he felt sad, or mad, or couldn't go to sleep. _I'm not alone. I have Treeko. But I can't believe they all died like this. Who would do such a thing? _

I wrapped my hands around him. He was so small that he fit into both of my hands. I still couldn't believe that he hadn't grown at all but I guess he would when he evolved into Grovyle and again into Sceptile.

"We have to go." I whispered. "We can't be caught here."

I felt Treeko shaking. "Look…" He whispered.

I stood and turned. Behind us were a lot more Sableye than there were at the library. "Did you guys want your butt kicked again?" I challenged and rummaged through my bag.

"Watch out!" Treeko kicked off from me and blocked an attack from a dark ball. He fell limp to the ground. I went to find an oren berry for him but the Sableye used fury swipes and broke the straps to my bag.

I heard a laugh as the Sableye dragged my bag away from me to a pokèmon I've never seen before. "Who are you?" I demanded. My hand bled from the scratches received from the fury swipes attack.

"Me? I am Dusknoir." He rummaged through my bag.

I hid my locket from them in my shirt and went to tend to Treeko's wounds but the Sableye wouldn't let me near him.

"You think you can change history, can you?" He flipped through the books that I had taken years to memorize. He handed the Sableye the whole bag. "Burn it." He ordered. "The rest of you, take them with us."

They forced Treeko to stand. He coughed horribly as they pushed us out of the village and toward somewhere unknown. At one point I could see lights down below, similar to the lights at the village but much brighter than that.

"When we get there, prepare for an execution." Dusknoir ordered.

Treeko and I looked at each other. We knew this was a suicide mission from the start but now there was no way out of this mess. Now the possibility of death became real.

"I have an idea," I mouthed to Treeko, "but you have to trust me."

Treeko nodded. He would trust me with all his being now and I would trust him with mine. We were the best of friends, after all. And I wouldn't let it die just because I suggested a suicide, and possibly impossible mission.


	4. Prison Break

I sat in the cell, formed by someone digging an alcove then building bar doors, holding Treeko. He was starting to form a fever.

I rocked him and hummed. He slept soundly, not hearing a thing.

I heard a small giggling but nobody was around. When the doors opened the giggling stopped and disappeared into my memory. The Sableye snatched Treeko away from me.

"No!" I yelled and went to grab him but the Sableye scratched my hands and arms each time I tried to reach for him. "Treeko!"

"Get up!" The Sableye ordered. When I didn't stand right away they scratched at my body until I did and made me walk. My legs felt like rubber as they lead me to a dark room. I let them tie me to the pillar. Next to me, I saw him perfectly in the darkness, was Treeko, red faced and sick.

I heard everyone leave the room. "I'll get us out." The promise even to me sounded hallow and pointless.

I heard the giggling again. The giggle of a little girls. "You'll get out," the voice said, "I know you will." The voice had no origin and the giggling stopped again when the lights turned on. They were brighter than I've ever seen lights. It blinded me.

Dusknoir stood at the door. I still couldn't see well through the bright lights but I could see his black form. "You have failed in your 'mission'. You should have just left it all alone, child. Now because of that Primal Dialga has issued a death warrant." The Sableye came from behind him.

"Take care of them quickly." Dusknoir ordered and floated from the room, his hands were behind his back like a general.

A felt a small breeze blow through. "When they loosen the ropes there will be a sudden flash of light," the voice told me, "take Treeko and hide!"

The Sableye seemed to have not heard a thing. They attacked in a frenzy of fury swipes. They cut my face and frayed my hair. My braids slowly came apart and when they did my hair fell to shoulder height. Way shorter than I liked my hair to be.

Next to me Treeko screamed in pain. My eyes started to water, it blurred the vision of the young Pokémon. "Treeko, when your ropes loosened attack them with everything you've got!" I yelled.

My ropes started to come loose under my weight. I could feel myself slipping from the pillar that straightened my back uncomfortably.

"Now!" I yelled with the strange voice in the air. I was surprised at how hard Treeko could fight in his condition.

"Close your eyes!" The voice said. I grabbed Treeko, hid behind the pillar, and closed my eyes.

"Open them," the voice giggled around me.

I opened them and saw we were in a cave. I smiled. "Thank you!" I yelled.

The voice came from behind me this time. It had an origin. "Don't thank me. I should be thanking you."

I turned. A pink Pokémon flew around me, checking me and Treeko out. She had deep green eyes. "Who are you?" I asked her.

"I am Celebi." She sang.

I laid Treeko down on the cave's cold floor. "That name sounds familiar…" I mused. "Hey." I turned to Celebi but she was gone. I sighed and sat next to Treeko.

His fever slowly grew worse but I couldn't move far with Treeko in this condition. We would be under attack and without any of my weapons we were completely defenseless.

When I got bored I would work on a locket I wanted to give to Treeko. I didn't have any pictures to put in it yet but I hoped I could before we left for the past. I went out every now and again to get water that was suspended. It was like scooping up ice but it wasn't as cold. I could catch it if it was suspended in the air or scoop it up in my hands and it would stay. Nothing like how I read water should act or so I've read.

Treeko's fever never went down.

The cold fingers of fear took ahold of my heart. I knew I shouldn't scream but I couldn't find any oren berries and nothing was working. I couldn't stand here as my best friend's fever kept getting worse and worse.

"Help me! Someone please! Help Treeko…" I waited but nobody answered me. "Celebi!" I screamed. Small hands covered my mouth. Celebi was right in front of me. "Shh!" She flew over to Treeko. "I can't save you a second time."

I was aware of the tears that stained my cheeks. Quickly I wiped them away. "Sorry." I whispered.

Celebi laughed and flew up to me and took my hand. "It's okay, my dear! But it's silly to worry over Treeko. He'll be better soon."

I nodded and hugged her. After several minutes the Pokémon pulled herself away and sat herself on a rock. "Why were you two in that awful place?" She asked.

"We were caught trying to change our time." My throat was still tight with worry.

"You two plan on changing this place? How?" She sounded amused. She didn't think we could do it but in her green eyes something else gleaned. Something I've only seen in Treeko three years ago.

"We're going to go to the past, collect all the Time Gears, and place them in Temporal Tower before it collapses." I told her. "And then we'll see the sun again."

Celebi rubbed her legs as if she were straightening out a dress. I imagined briefly Celebi wearing a green dress, made of leaves maybe. "My dear…you do know that if you change the past you and Treeko will disappear, right? Everyone will. And when you are born again there's a possibility that you two will never be friends."

I never gave it thought about the consequences. I smiled. "But think about it. What's better? Living in a world of darkness and fear? Or living in a world where Treeko and I don't know each other and the world is full of light and life?"

"I for one…" Treeko's voice was weak with sickness, "will give anything for that dream."

Celebi smiled, energy suddenly bubbled out of her and she shot around the room, dancing around me and Treeko. She took my hands and got into my face. "Then consider me an ally and a friend! I am Celebi, I will be your transportation to the past!"

I knew the name sounded familiar. I had read in a book once that Celebi was a Pokémon that could bend time to her will to travel through time. Unlike Dialga, however, she could never take out an entire time and she couldn't create it.

"I'm Ashton. This is Treeko. We're so excited to have you on our Exploration Team!"

Celebi tilted her head. "Your…exploration team?"

I nodded. "We're explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky."

Treeko groaned. "No! Just Time!"


End file.
